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Sorry for the late reply. Distractions these days...
If everyone agrees to end it, then I'll understand. I thought the story was awesome, and I'd be sorry to see it die just as it's getting started. But regardless of what happens, I wish everyone well.

Samurai would be really impressed if he wasn't trying so hard to contain his own excess fire magic. However, once they are high enough, Samurai takes aim and releases the fire in a fast, powerful stream! The result is just as he predicted, rocket propulsion! However, it will be up to Night Eyes to navigate the flight with his wings and keep his eyes sharp; because right now, they are traveling at speeds faster than the average train. This should make reaching the castle really fast! "Speed zenkai!!!"

Samurai nods at Night Eye's explanation. "I understand. But if this works, we shouldn't have to worry about your physical abilities for too long."
Samurai takes a quick moment to look around. He finds fire sources from various locations; a fire pit, a juggler with lit torch sticks, and a large grill from one of the food vendors. Samurai concentrates and begins to gather up his magic. His horn glows as a flame appears at the tip. Next, the fire from those three locations flies towards Samurai's horn until they have gone out. Once collected, the fire over Samurai's horn has tripled in size! But it goes down and gets reabsorbed into his being. However, Samurai doesn't look so good doing it. Every part of his body is clenched; he is shaking and desperately trying to hold in the excess fire power. Even his face has an expression of pure strain.
"Okay, Night Eyes! If we're gonna go, let's go!" Samurai says with strain and impatience in his voice. He really can't hold such large amounts of excess fire power. It seems the sooner he can expend it, the better.

It's just a very minor plot device. Other archeologists and scientists can contact each other through letters and traditional means.
I tend to write Japon as a mix of modern and feudal era Japan. And since Japan can often be ahead of the curve with technology, I thought phones might fit just for Japon. But I can write it out completely, if you like.

(EDITED on request)
Meanwhile, in a distant part of Equestria's Solar Empire, about as far to the east as you can go to a place called Japon...
A frightening roar bellows through the open fields!
A herd of qilin run back to the forests they came from. Making sure they have left is an armored, tri-colored pony and a manticore. Obviously, it was the manticore who was roaring loudly. Once gone, the armored pony nods and turns to the manticore. "That should settle it. You shouldn't have any more problems with qilins trying to steal your homes anymore." The samurai pony bows respectfully. Pleased, the two of them part ways.
As he makes his way through the woods, the samurai pony notices that part of his chest armor has been damaged. "Hmm... That's not good. The smith that forged this armor is on vacation. Won't be back for a good while Maybe I can hire some other pony to fix it. It's a little insulting, but this really can't wait..."
While he makes his way back to the city, he notices something in the woods. A glimmer from an abandoned cave catches his eye. Moving in closer, the samurai pony looks inside the cave. Deep, deep inside, past the rocks and cobwebs, past many things within this cave, it looks like there is something discarded within. "Hmm... Where have I seen that kind of shape before? ... Maybe it's some kind of relic? Only one way to find out." Pulling out a small camera and some papers from his armor, the samurai pony aims and snaps a picture of the strange artifact. As the picture develops, he begins writing a letter to go with it.
While he is there, the samurai pony decides to cover up the cave and make it look less noticeable. He closes the cave with vines and discarded wood. One of the papers he pulled out was a foldable map, which he marks the location of the cave on. He puts the map away to keep for himself. That's all he can do for now. Just beyond the next ridge is the big city. Light, sounds, and a hustle and bustle of eastern culture mixed with some western influences. And of course, the first thing he does is find a post box just on the outskirts of the city. Once there, he takes the picture and the letter he wrote, and properly mails them to a chain of correspondents. "There. Now the best archaeologists in Equestria will know about it. It's in their hands now."

Sorry for not responding sooner. Got busy with other things the last few days.
Forgive me for asking, but who is Caster Forge'Iron? I want to get started, but like I said, my OC doesn't actually own any swords himself. He might visit Caster to get his armor fixed, but if he is not located in Japon, how would he know about him? I hope I'm not asking for too much direction. I'll go ahead and make a first post, but if I need to change it, I'll go ahead and edit it.

I don't doubt there are other characters who could beat my character in battle. I allow plenty of lee way for that to happen without making him too weak. But you do prove a point I wasn't thinking about, the bandit's motivation. I guess in my OC's defense, diplomacy is not his strongest suit (that'd be like asking Rainbow Dash to be negotiator). He can sometimes get tunnel vision and focus only on what is most important. Talking reason with a foe usually doesn't come until after they have surrendered, provided they haven't run away. Samurai likes to help everyone, but like any character, he has faults. Sometimes he charges in without thinking the situation through completely. Sometimes he has to be inspired or challenged by others to change the way he handles a situation. Hope that has been enough to earn your approval.
And sorry for not posting any sooner. Been a little busy for the past few days.

Remember how I mentioned adjustments?
I always thought weapons don't have that much place in the MLP universe (though I guess it can be argued the other way). Making Samurai's horn act like a sword is one of those adjustments I insisted on. The idea is there but it fits a kid friendly atmosphere. Historical samurai have also killed many of their enemies, but I try to avoid that unless the one hosting the RP wants something darker. If he can, Samurai Equine will use non-lethal methods to scare his enemies away. Think of most fire types in the Pokemon anime. You can get burned, charred, and badly hurt; but you probably won't die from the attacks. If he ever wields a sword (which he is also trained for), it's because he earned it from someone or somepony else. For example, maybe he is protecting a village of Breezies, and they give him a sword that the village has forged. He might use that to defeat whatever evil is haunting the Breezies. Samurai Equine is the kind of stallion who builds bonds with others and really likes that kind of sentimentality.
As for a more specific example of Samurai's fighting prowess... I mentioned he is athletic and agile, even with armor on. He might find a way to distract them, maybe slowly take out a piece of gold, only to throw it in one of the bandit's face! Using that distraction, he would leap over the convoy, grab one of the charging bandits, and throw him into 2 of the others. From there, he would switch to physical and magical combat while keeping his surroundings in mind. With one of his limited number of spells, he can make his horn rapidly extend and retract, allowing him to stab and pierce enemies from a distance away (think of Goku's Power Pole from Dragon Ball). With his fire magic, he can leave enemies stunned with severe burns. He might even combine some of his magical attacks, turning his fire into projectiles that hit enemies from a distance. As I mentioned, Samurai is kind of a dynamo in this regard.
Also, keep in mind that most samurai became ronin during the turn of the century when Japan started opening it's boarders, changing the way the government rules the land, and changing the laws so that it was practically illegal to be a samurai. With the warrior class out of a job and no longer in favor with the Emperor, they had to find a job by any means. Some became bandits out of desperation, some tried to assimilate and work for the government without swords, some hid their samurai past and tried to live normal lives... It was not a good time to be a samurai, and that's not the era I am using to model my character after.

Ah. I misunderstood. Silly me. Well, in Japon, the more luxurious and high end homes are built a little different than the western idea of a home. While a back and front yard may be present; the garden is usually placed in the center of the house. In fact, houses are usually built around the garden itself so that the garden can be a focal point. Each garden can be different depending on what the owners want. There could be fountain, koi pond, various different kinds of plants (such as bonsai trees and such), or even a rock & sand garden. I don't think you'll find many that have an actual cherry blossom tree in the garden, but anything is possible.

"Would love to see it, or meet the science team responsible." Samurai likes the offer. Still, he thinks about the traveling time. The less time spent, the better... It would be silly if Night Eyes tried to carry Samurai on his back. However... "There are other ways to speed up the travel process. Teleportation is not my strongest asset, however, I can do it for a limited number of times. But since I would be teleporting the BOTH of us, I think I'd only be able to perform the spell twice. After the second time, I would be exhausted. I would need time to recover, with plenty of sleep and maybe some food." Samurai explains.
"There is another option. It's not a great option. It really is a test of my physical endurance. I can absorb fire from outside sources and add it to my own natural reserves of fire magic. Camp fires, lamps, lit torches, etc. If you were to give me a lift, I might be able to use my magic to give us an extra boost of acceleration. I would still need to take a break afterwords and re-energize, but it would not be nearly as bad as using two Teleportation spells in a row." And thus, Options A and B are fully explained. The only third option is to keep traveling by land.

Sorry for the delay of a few days, everyone! Internet server problems.
I hesitate using the word Zen in a My Little Pony universe, because Zen is linked to Buddhism, and I hate to entertain religion in a universe that doesn't necessarily have any or need any. I don't mind incorporating various monsters and demons of legend because they would fit, but religion is one thing I gotta be careful of. After all, my character does not come from Japan, but rather Japon, the ponified version of Japan. Sorry to nitpick, just wanted to point out that there would be some differences and adjustments.
While meditation is one way to sharpen the mind and harness one's spirituality, Samurai Equine is not a pony who would focus on that for very long. The closest thing he might do, in terms of meditation, is try to sharpen or improve his elemental magic. And since Fire is the magic he has mastered, a beautiful garden is not the right place for that; a beach might be better. For him, actions speak louder than words! If there are no other pressing matters to attend to, he might sharpen his combat and weapon-handling skills, practice the art of Japonies writing, help tend to the Cherry Blossom trees, or even practice some traditional Japonies music such as Shigin, Wagakki, or Enka. On a rare occasion, he might even be willing to take part in a Kabuki theater play.
Was there something specific you were looking for?
Please forgive me, I like to make my own recap before I answer hypotheticals...
Protect a convoy of 18 members. 7 are children, one is a guard, the others have no self-defense skills. The bandits, a team of 8, ambush us on the mountain and they want our food, our valuables, my sword, and our compliance. There is no guarantee they will leave us alone other than their word. Is that correct? If so, here is my answer...
Samurai Equine has fought villainous rouges like these before many times, and despite looking like he is weighed down, Samurai has built up an endurance to using his armor. He is actually quite nimble and athlete in his armor, which is actually lighter than knight or royal guard armor. Samurai knows that evil never upholds its promises; furthermore Samurai doesn't actually use or carry a sword regularly since his horn tends to be enough of a sword for him to use. With a combination of his honed speed, agility, and fire magic; Samurai would have no problem fending off the majority of these combatants. For you see, the samurai class is not too different from the famous knights. With war-time combat experience and a refined training regiment on his side; his theatrical, daredevil-like fighting style should be able to over power most bandits despite their numbers. He might even leave 2 for the other guard joining him. And if he can, he will spare them. He'd rather send them running in fear and pain than to actually take a life, but he will if he absolutely must. (I hope this is NOT that kind of RP though...)
However! On the grounds that Samurai has still been underestimated (which can definitely happen, I am not trying to make him a Gary Stu, I am trying to model him after the best of historical samurai), Samurai always has a few desperation moves at hand. One of which would be to throw the valuables (and maybe half or more of the food) down the mountainside. Now the ball is in their court. Do they chase after the valuables, or keep fighting? Knowing the bandits, they'll make only one choice. The valuables can be reclaimed later, the food can be rationed while more is found along the trail, the bandits can be tracked. The most important thing right now? Getting the convoy to it's destination and out of harm's way, with all of its crew alive and safe.
Hope that answers your question. I am trying to keep things generalized right now. I go into way more specific details when I am actually RPing.

I have much respect for this. Even if the rest of my post here goes disregarded, I want it to be known that I like the story set up and I like how selective you are being with who gets approved to be part of this roleplay.
That being said, I think I have an OC that would fit well with a story like this. Allow me to tell you about my OC named Samurai Equine:
https://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/samurai-equine-r7058
My character is a pony from Japon, a distant part of Equestia in the far east. Samurai Equine has always been an armored warrior pony that has fought for peace and justice, protecting innocent ponies from extreme dangers with his fire-based magic. He is no stranger to battle, though he isn't perfect either. With his loyalty to Princess Celestia above all other princesses, he usually seeks her permission before handling international affairs. Fire, while impressive, is also not a perfect defense. It's weak against water and ice. Depending on the story, if the shards are scattered to the various ends of Equestria, it's plausible that Samurai could also find a shard. At the very least, if he was included in this story, you'd have a wider international scale to make your story more interesting.
I'd like to think, as a champion of justice, my character would fit in well with a story like this. He has faced villains before, and he would never wield a weapon with evil intent. At the same time, he may be a warrior, but he is not a blacksmith of any kind. He cannot forge weapons, and he prefers to use sentimental weapons that he has earned. Otherwise, he tends to stick with his own magic and physical abilities. If necessary, I can play any wide range of Japonies NPC's that would be needed. I can play anyone from Samurai's mentor, random Japonies citizens, and even enemies that Samurai has faced. But I'd also make sure none of my characters would pull focus from the main story, main characters, nor would they break any rules.
If you need references on my roleplay abilities and such, I have people you can contact and I can link to other roleplays I've been in. :grin2:

"Flight with artificial wings? I would leap at the first chance! I don't care how tough it is to make it work. I would power through the trails and bare any pains to MAKE it work! Such an endeavor would be most amazing..." Samurai says, getting dreamy-eyed at the thought of flying.
"...So, Night Eyes, did you say you were going to fly us to the castle? Should I be helping out in any way?" Samurai asks.